A Peach Wood Comb

She couldn’t figure it out no matter how hard she tried. This was her city, her home, yet Gui Li didn’t even have a single place that truly belonged to her. With both hands tucked in her coat pockets, the stairwell was as cramped and dim as ever. As she reached the corner, she could see the pale light at the staircase landing. After a few steps into the light, she suddenly froze—”Are you going out?” Zhou Yujian had originally planned to see her before leaving, hoping to persuade her to return to City A after dealing with her affairs. He had come here and happened to meet her, luckily just in time, otherwise, he would have missed his flight waiting for her return. Lai Hui blinked her eyes, which for some unknown reason felt a bit sore, and her heart surged like a stormy sea. It was truly unbelievable that Zhou Yujian would be here. She pondered, but the surprise couldn’t suppress the joy of seeing him, almost making her throw herself into his arms—but she only almost did. “I’m going out to buy some furniture; there’s nothing left at home!” Her hands clenched in her pockets, she answered habitually, forgetting to ask why he was here. Zhou Yujian frowned upon hearing this; hadn’t Secretary Lin warned the old man not to touch anything in the house? He questioned, “It’s New Year’s Eve tomorrow; which store would still be open?” “I don’t know either. I’ll try my luck on the street; otherwise, I’ll have to stay in a hotel.” Lai Hui stepped down the stairs ahead of him, fearing he might suddenly decide to go upstairs to check, not wanting him to see how pitiful her situation was, which would embarrass her. Zhou Yujian didn’t insist, just saying, “I’ve just arrived and haven’t been anywhere yet. I’m heading back to City A this afternoon; why don’t you show me around?” Returning in the afternoon? Suppressing her disappointment, she forced a smile and nodded, “Sure, but there’s not much to see in this city. You might not be used to it; look, everything here is dilapidated, as backward as can be…” She rambled on like an unstoppable chatterbox until Zhou Yujian pulled her hand from her pocket, held it, and placed it in his coat pocket, silencing her. “I like it here; it’s very simple!” he whispered. Her heart suddenly settled; all that talk was because she feared he might look down on her. Zhou Yujian, who had always lived in the bustling metropolis, might have never seen the poverty and backwardness of a small city like this. His being here filled her with mixed feelings; her vanity made her feel elated, yet her inferiority complex made her feel like a young maiden with beauty but dressed in rags, which was indeed embarrassing for her. She thought, if he doesn’t despise her, it’s a blessing, but to hear him say he likes it, whether it’s flattery or not, at least her heart found some solace. “You’re not going to buy a car here, are you—Oh, that’s a provincial government license plate!” Lai Hui pointed at the Audi A8 parked in the middle of the yard, how foolish, where would this small city have a dealership selling such a luxury car? “It was sent by the branch office over there; your taxis here are really dirty—” Seeing Lai Hui’s face turn red, he quickly stopped talking and opened the car door, ready to help her in. “Hey!” A voice came out of nowhere. Lai Hui looked towards the sound to see a child with dyed short hair walking towards them. Zhou Yujian noticed a slight resemblance between her and Lai Hui, though their temperaments were worlds apart. The child, hands in her jeans pockets, wore a black short jacket, bent down as she approached, and asked Lai Hui, “Are you Lai Hui?” Lai Hui had already recognized her—it was Zhang Lin, her half-sister. Looking at her slightly mischievous yet bright-eyed face, perhaps no one would dislike a face that looked somewhat similar. Lai Hui got out of the car and replied, “Yes, it’s me!” “Haha!” A laugh she must have picked up from somewhere, not harsh but not the kind a child should have, Zhang Lin stepped forward, hooked her arm around Lai Hui’s shoulder, excitedly and affectionately saying, “It’s really you, I’m Zhang Lin!” Lai Hui didn’t know how to respond to this unfamiliar relative, especially since she wasn’t used to such intimacy from someone she barely knew. As she was at a loss, Zhou Yujian timely pulled her into his arms, coldly saying to Zhang Lin, “We’re about to leave.” Zhou Yujian had investigated Zhang Zongxiang’s family and was aware of Zhang Lin’s bad reputation, instinctively wary of her. Meanwhile, Lai Hui, suddenly finding herself in his embrace, was flustered and her heart beat faster, so neither noticed the fleeting hurt in Zhang Lin’s eyes. “Wow, what a fancy car.” Zhang Lin awkwardly touched the car door with her now empty hand, her bright eyes full of envy. Soon after, she looked at Zhou Yujian with undisguised admiration, her eyes curving into a smile as she said to Lai Hui, “Is this your husband? He’s so handsome and cool!” “Zhang Lin!” Zhou Yujian was getting impatient. “We’re leaving!” Zhang Lin gave a few forced laughs, touched her golden-dyed short hair, still smiling, though somewhat strained. “I was just wandering around when I heard someone say you were back, so I came to see you. It’s been so long since we last saw each other—haha, you guys go ahead, I’ll go now!” She patted her head, her other hand still stylishly in her jeans pocket. Lai Hui stared at that mischievous yet youthful face, suddenly realizing this was her blood relative, and couldn’t help but feel compassion, “Zhang Lin, I’m going to buy furniture now, it’s getting late, why don’t you come find me after I’ve settled in?” Zhang Lin nodded with a beaming smile, “Yes, yes, yes, I’ll come find you tomorrow!—See you tomorrow, brother-in-law!” She waved at Zhou Yujian and swaggered away. Zhou Yujian was glad this trouble was finally willing to leave, pressing Lai Hui’s shoulder to push her into the car, but she stepped back, closed the car door, and said, “Let’s take a taxi. Driving this car around town would just attract attention, wouldn’t it?” She smiled at him, “We can take a ‘very dirty’ taxi or walk, how about that?” After Zhang Lin’s appearance, she feared he might look down on her even more, so she decided to go all out; she had already lost face once, what’s one more time? In this small town where everyone knows everyone, she didn’t want to be the center of attention everywhere she went. “Let’s walk then!” There was no way he would stoop to get into a taxi with worn-out seat covers. Walking was fine; it would give him more time to persuade her. The small town was a fresh sight for Zhou Yuqian. There were many farmers on the street wearing headscarves, with short, thick tobacco pipes in their mouths, carrying bamboo baskets on their backs. From a high vantage point, one could see many green heads, their baskets filled with finely ground glutinous rice flour. Lai Hui said that few people here bought their own flour; during festivals, they made glutinous rice balls. The town was indeed small; the entire urban area was not even as large as a small town in City A. Zhou Yuqian was most curious about the fact that there were almost no traffic lights in the city. Lai Hui told him that there were few private cars, and not many vehicles on the roads, so installing traffic lights would be unnecessary. The furniture stores were all closed, but Lai Hui wasn’t much affected, thinking that at worst, they could just stay in a hotel the next night. It was just New Year’s Eve, after all. They held hands tightly in the crowd as Lai Hui took him to the Ethnic Folklore Village to watch shadow plays and then to the ancient street to buy some local specialties. Zhou Yuqian leisurely let her drag him around, enjoying the anonymity which came with no one recognizing him, feeling no pressure at all, and discovering many new and interesting things with her. Sometimes, he would stop to fix her wind-blown hair; at other times, she would pause to button up his coat, whispering, “It’s cold here, don’t leave your coat open.”